I dragged my weary feet out the door and across the street to the bus stop. I was so tired that it took me a moment to notice that the street light over the bench was out, and the darkness was becoming eerie. Thankfully there were still plenty of cars driving up and down the boulevard, so I felt relatively safe. Still, I couldn’t help but think that someone was watching me. I looked up and down the street, down into the alleyway, up to the dark windows of the dark buildings, and saw no one. I clutched my purse closer, slipping my hand inside to where the mace canister lay, and bolstered my courage by holding onto it for dear life. Welcome to my new reality. God, I hate this! I hate being scared all the time and I hate being alone. For Christ’s sake, help me out here, please! God has a wicked sense of humor, because although my prayer was answered, he sent Melinda to answer it.
“Need a lift?” She yelled over the roar of her Lamborghini, as it squealed to a stop in front of me.
“No, thank you, I’m waiting for the bus.”
“Oh come on, the bus won’t be through here for another half an hour, and I could have you back at your place, safely tucked in bed by that time.”
I knew the bus ran every fifteen minutes, but the thought of having to transfer twice more before reaching home, convinced me to take her up on her offer. Besides, I had never ridden in a Lamborghini before. I think she could tell I was waning, because she promised to stay on her side of the car.
I slid my weary bones into the softest leather seat imaginable and ran my hands over it again and again. Not even considering that my feet may smell from having been on them all day, I slipped my shoes off and embedded my toes into the deep plush carpet. Oh, this is heaven!
She asked for my address, and I gave it to her without making eye contact. I didn’t want to see those gorgeous slate eyes of hers again, not in my weakened condition.
“I really appreciate‒” Without warning, my entire body yawned, so deeply that it took a few seconds to get it all out, “Oh, I’m sorry, I must not be used to that kind of frantic work.”
“It was pretty crazy in there tonight.”
“Yeah, I can’t wait to go back to it tomorrow night.”
I think she chuckled, but my brain was so fuzzy that I couldn’t be sure.
*
I watched her more than I watched the road. Chris had fallen asleep in mid-sentence and I deliberately slowed the car down so I could watch her sleep. I reclined her seat and turned on the seat warmer and drove around the block fifteen times. I’m not sure why. I just knew that I didn’t want the magic to end. I didn’t want her to leave, knowing that I would probably never see her again. I didn’t want to be alone.
“What? Oh…”
“Did you have a nice nap, little lady?” I asked her, as she sat up, looking disoriented at first.
But then she looked at me somewhat embarrassed, and said, “I’m sorry. I guess I was more tired than I thought I was. I hope I didn’t snore, or drool or anything like that?”
“Not at all. You have the cutest snore, and the seats are leather, so a little drool won’t hurt them.” I teased her just a little, hoping she would appreciate my charm. She hadn’t notice it.
“I’ll pay for any damage‒”
“Chris, I was joking. You didn’t do any of those things, I promise.” She did twitch her nose as she slept, but I thought it best not to embarrass her more, with something I found intimately attractive.
“Oh, thanks.” She looked out the window and then over at me, “Where are we? I don’t recognize this neighborhood.”
“I sort of got lost, but I think this next street up will lead to your apartment.” A little white lie for the greater good.
She looked at her watch and gasped, “How long have you been lost? You should have wakened me.”
She wasn’t being accusing, and I didn’t take it as such, but I couldn’t tell her the truth because I knew that it would only backfire on me.
“I didn’t want to wake you because I didn’t want to admit that I was lost.”
“I see. Well, I’m glad you could admit that, Ms. Blackstone.”
“Please, call me Melinda, like before.” I never really liked my first name, until Chris spoke it out loud.
“I guess it’s the least I could do for your kindness. Oh look, that’s my building over there.”
I pulled up in front of her apartment and we got out of the car. The street reeked of urine and I could see a drunk just outside the door, passed out cold. Then I looked up at the shabby, beleaguered building that looked like it could fall down at any minute. All the buildings on this street looked the same, old.
I exclaimed before I could bite it back, “Oh my God, did I do that? Did I put you in that squalor of an apartment building?”
“You are full of yourself, aren’t you, Melinda?”
That one stung, probably deservedly so.
“No, you did not put me in this squalor, as you called it. I put myself here and am thankful that I even have a roof over my head. So…” she tugged at her T-shirt and wiped her hands on her jeans, and then extended a hand out to me, “thank you again for the ride, and I’ll see you around sometime.”
It was the kiss off that I had been dreading, though I’m not a hundred percent sure I know why.
“I’d like to see you again… uh… too.” Lame! “I mean, I really want to know more about how you ended up here because it sounds to me like you’ve lived a different life before this. Am I right?” Keep her talking, just keep her talking until she promises to see you again.
“It’s not a story I want to share. So, remember that we’re even now, your conscious is clear and you can get back to your life now.”
No, no, no! I want more! “Yes, thank you for that. I’ll um, I’ll see you around, I guess.”
“Good night.”
And with that, she walked up the five steps to the front door, bent over the bum and slipped a ten dollar bill into his hands, then walked inside. Ten dollars? Was that the ten spot that I left her as a tip? Well shit. I didn’t need a brick to hit me on the head to make it any clearer.
Chapter Five
Sleepless Nights ‒ Christine Livingston
“Blackie, I’m so glad to see you. Are you hungry?” My kitten greeted me at the door as I walked in. What a difference it made in my mood. Leaving Melinda on the doorstep made me feel unsettled somehow. But I will have to wonder why later. Right now all I want to do is feed the kitten and go to bed. I’m exhausted.
I fed Blackie some tuna, and played with her for a little bit, and then I collapsed on the bed, shoes and all. I might have nodded off for a moment. Damn it, what’s wrong with me? I’ve asked that question before, and never actually found an answer to it.
“Was I so wrong?” I asked my kitten. “She’s trouble and has been from day one. Sure, she apologized to me, and sure, she gave me a lift home, but now she wants something for her good deeds… doesn’t she?”
Blackie meowed at me, and I smiled. “You don’t understand, Blackie. She wants to know what happened to me, and it’s just too painful to tell, especially to her. She would only laugh at my ignorance.”
I set the kitten down on the floor and got up to put fresh water in her dish with fresh water. It was a mindless activity so that I could distract myself. It didn’t work.
I was angry and I wasn’t sure why. It was probably because she had everything, and I had nothing. Blackie growled and at first I thought it was at me, and I apologized.
“You’re absolutely right, Blackie, she doesn’t have you.”
But I wasn’t really angry at Melinda, I was angry at myself. It was entirely my fault for getting in this predicament in the first place. And then it hit me. I slammed the door on any thought of friendship with Melinda, because she is who I was and I don’t want to go backwards again. I want to go forward. The only way we can be friends is if she sobers up and plays nice. She was sober tonight…
Blackie continued to growl and that’s when I noticed a tiny
mouse poking its head out of a new hole in the baseboard. Damn it! I took some of the newspapers I used for Blackie’s litter box and stuff it into the hole. That won’t keep the rodent out for long, but I’ll ask the landlord later about plugging it up permanently.
“Who’s a good mouser? You deserve a treat for your bravery.” Blackie purred and flicked her tail as if she knew her actions had saved my life. I gave her a piece of tuna and she gobbled it down whole.
I flopped back down on the bed again, while Blackie inspected the hole in the wall. Then I got up and paced, and then I laid down and stared at the ceiling, and then...
*
Sleepless Nights — Meg Bumgartner and Frankie Bonner
I had just finished jotting down my notes on the night’s transactions between Chris and Blackstone, and was taking one last look out the window at Chris’s apartment before I laid down for some shuteye, when I heard someone jiggle my door knob. I reached for my gun on the nightstand just as my wife walked in. It was six o’clock in the morning.
Frankie took one look at me and asked, “Oh honey, rough night?” She walked over to me and kissed me softly on the lips. I enjoyed the fire she left behind, before I answered her.
“You could say that. It was an all-nighter again. What are you doing here so early in the morning, not that I’m complaining, mind you.”
“Our bed was cold.”
“Oh, beautiful, I’m so sorry about that. I promise, as soon as this case is over with, I’ll make it up to you. We’ll finally be able to go on that honeymoon.”
“I’ll hold you to that, sweetheart. So what is it about this case that has you so fanatical?”
“You know, I’ve actually given that a lot of thought over the past few months, and I think it’s my irrational fear of ending up like she did.”
“But she has a lifeline, right?”
“Yeah, her parents plan to bring her home on Christmas Day, which is coming up soon, thank goodness. But she doesn’t know that. She doesn’t know that they still worry for her, cry for her, believe in her. All she knows is that she’s been abandon, she’s dirt poor, and that kitten of hers is all the comfort she has from the loneliness.”
“Honey, listen to me.”
I turned my head from the window back to my wife, and smiled, waiting for her to continue.
“You are nothing like her, and will never be, and do you know why that is?”
I shook my head.
“Because I’m your lifeline, and you’re mine.”
“Aw beautiful, you are so good for my heart.” I pulled her in close and gave her a fiery hot kiss, to try and make up for not waking up beside her this morning.
“Oh my. Okay, don’t start something you can’t finish right now,” Frankie fanned herself flirtatiously, “tell me about last night.”
“Chris had a very interesting night last night and I’m just not sure how I should convey that to her father.”
“Can you tell me about it?”
Usually, we don’t share information if our clients demand complete privacy. Initially, that had been the case with Mr. Livingston, until George Kirk walked into my wife’s office. I had told her before I signed the contract that he had requested my services, and she remembered the name. Turns out that was a good thing.
“Blackie showed up at Chris’s new job and ended up driving her home, but for some reason, she drove around the same block a number of times before she got there.”
“Oh, do tell.”
“No, she never got past the curb, but Chris barely slept a wink, not until she fell asleep sitting up just about ten minutes ago.”
“So if she doesn’t sleep, you don’t?”
“You know how this game is played.” A fact that I love about my wife is that she’s been there, done that, and can relate to me on an even level, “No, I need to make sure‒”
“What? That you make yourself sick with this case? Listen, honey, I’m between cases, and your client knows I’m aware of the particulars. Let me spell you for a while, and you get some much needed sleep.”
“Are you sure?” I asked her as I lay on the bed, and closed my eyes, waiting for my cobwebbed brain to stop spinning down into unconsciousness. The last thing I thought I heard her say was sweet dreams. They will be now. “I love you, beautiful.”
*
Sleepless Nights ‒ Melinda aka Blackie Blackstone and George Kirk
“Who the hell is this calling me at four in the morning?”
Oops, I forgot about the time change, “It’s Melinda, uh, I mean Blackie, did I wake you?”
“Blackie? No, of course not. Is anything wrong?”
“Everything! Everything is wrong. She won’t talk with me and she won’t let me talk to her.”
“Blackie, you’re not making sense. Are you drunk?”
“No, I only had the one drink. I just haven’t been able to get to sleep because she won’t leave me alone.”
“I’m sorry, I still don’t understand. How is it that she won’t leave you alone? Are you with her now?”
“No, I’m not with her now! Keep up, man!”
“Then what is it, Blackie? What has you wound so tight?”
“The fact that I’m not drunk has me wound tight. The fact that she blew me off has me wound tight. The fact that‒”
“The fact that you care for this girl, genuinely care for her, but she won’t give you the time of day?”
Way to stab me in my heart, George. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Blackie, can I speak plainly?”
“You mean you haven’t been? Yeah, sure, why not.”
“If Chris did want to be your friend, would things truly be different?”
“I’m not sure what you mean, George.”
“Isn’t it true that if she tried to get close to you, as a friend, you’d run the other way? You’ve never acted this way over a woman before. You’ve never allowed someone to get under your skin like this, so I think you need to truly understand what you’re upset about.”
“George, how do you know how I’ve acted before? Have you been watching me, or something?”
“You know I have, Blackie. It’s my job, remember? That’s why I can advise you so easily.”
“Oh, yeah, for a moment I forgot what you did for a living.”
“So, is it because you really like her, or because she spurned your advances?
“I think…” I shut my eyes and brought her image to my mind. I could see those beautiful, dark, sparkling green eyes that smiled at me when I apologized to her. “I guess a little bit of both, George. I’m way out of my comfort zone here, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
“When you can honestly put someone ahead of yourself without any expectations of reciprocation, then you will know what to do. As it is right now, you need to give yourself some space, get some distance from her and see if you still feel the same way after a few days.”
I told George that he should have been a shrink, because he was giving me a damn headache, like they all do. After we hung up, I thought about what he said, about wanting Chris to feel obligated to me. Was that really what I was after? Probably so, but this time, it wasn’t on purpose. This time I could admit to myself that Chris intrigued me as much for her secrets as for her beauty. I had never seen such pain in a person’s eyes before as I saw in hers when she told me she wouldn’t share her past. Now that’s all I can think about.
But isn’t that what George is talking about? Is he right? Do I want to know her only because I want to know her secrets? Or is it because I liked the way she stands up to me. Maybe it’s because for the first time in my life, I met a woman who was stronger than me, and I liked it. Whatever it is, I know this much, I can’t give up. This time, I can’t walk away.
Chapter Six
Sacrifices and Surprises ‒ Chris Livingston and Melinda Blackstone
“Blackie! Come back here!”
I had left the door open, as I carried in her new plastic cat
litter box and set it on the floor, and she darted out into the hallway. I was frantic. I cornered her just before she could bolt down the stairs, but when I got close, she darted between my legs and back in the opposite direction. I stopped, knelt down and began calling, “Here, kitty, kitty.”
The door to apartment 5C, just one door up from where I was kneeling, opened slightly. It was an old lady. She looked skittish as she poked her head out and looked up and down the hallway, I guess to make sure it was safe. Then she tossed out a small ball that bounced a few times and stopped. Blackie ran after it. But as she got close, the ball began to move again, slowly across the tattered carpet, towards the old lady. She cooed at Blackie as she bent over and picked her up. I quickly walked over to her, and she handed my kitten to me.
“Thank you, so much, ma’am.”
“Here, you can keep the ball, in case she gets out again.”
“Are you sure you don’t need it for your cat?” I just assumed she had a cat, why else would she have the ball? Never mind, I don’t want to know.
“No, my cat died…”
Her eyes welled up and my heart broke.
“I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you, my dear. She was all I had, and now the apartment seems so empty.”
I was going to say something else, just to give her comfort, but a sudden noise on the stairs diverted our attention. By the time I turned back to her, she had shut the door and locked it. I tucked Blackie up under my chin and walked back to my apartment, shutting and locking my door, as well.
“She was all I had…” The old lady’s mournful honesty kept playing over and over in my mind. She must be terribly lonely now. I know that without Blackie, I would be terribly lonely again. Blackie must have heard my thoughts, because she bounced over to me and nudge my leg with her head. I patted my hip and using her claws, she climbed up my jeans. I scooped her up and set her on the bed, watching her play for a long time, while I struggled with an idea forming in my mind. Suddenly I needed some air, so I left her on the bed, and opened the window and climb out onto the stoop. Sitting with my butt on the window sill, I leaned back and watched the clouds move slowly across the blue sky. After suppressing my emotions until my head hurt, I bury my face in my hands and sobbed.
From Riches to Rags Page 5
